Living out Your Legacy

Being a legacy is a tricky thing. There are levels to legacies. Some could care less about being a legacy, some are set on following their legacies and some girls aren’t even legacies. Somewhere among those levels was me. My Greek Life journey did not start when I actually went through recruitment. Instead it started before I was even born, with my mom.

My mom, a former National Officer and General Advisor, found a home she never had in Zeta Tau Alpha. She found purpose within herself and sisters that to this day I call my Aunts. Zeta gave my mom a new life; a second chance at life. The saying that “it’s not just four years, it’s forever” rings so true to my mother. Even as a stay at home mom with two rambunctious girls, my mom still found time to travel to nearby chapters and be active in her alumnae group. When my older and only sister went through recruitment at my mom’s alma mater, the choice couldn’t have been any clearer. She was living in the same house that my mom did, in the same chapter our mom found a new life in.

Four years later, when it came my time, I broke the tradition by choosing LSU. Thankfully, my family was completely on board and my mom was not so secretly happy that there was a chance for me to complete our trifecta. During recruitment, my choice was not so clear. Every day that I walked out of 4010 W. Lakeshore, I felt more and more connected. On preference night, I had so many nerves. I was afraid that I was going Zeta because of my mom. I was afraid that this would be my mom’s journey and never my own. But, on bid day, flipping my card over and seeing Zeta Tau Alpha was the biggest relief of my life.

Running to our beautiful white house into the arms of my new sisters as well as my mom and sister was an exhilarating experience. I learned how to create my own ZTA journey. I’ve never been afraid that I was only here for my mom or sister. And honestly, my mom, sister and I couldn’t be closer because of it. The bond we have now is so much deeper and concrete. They are my constant support and understand my life more than anyone.

I didn’t go Zeta simply because they were Zetas. I went Zeta because of the values they instilled in me. The values that are instilled in all Zetas. Being a legacy doesn’t define who you are during recruitment. Whatever level of legacies you feel that you’re on, go with your gut and work hard to create your own journey wherever you go.